


Approval

by indigorose50



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Flying, Indigo Invents Pegasus Caring, No Spoilers, Phobias, Post-Time Skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-29 18:15:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21414514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indigorose50/pseuds/indigorose50
Summary: “I doubt you brought me here just to introduce me to your Pegasus.”Ingrid smiled. “Indeed. I brought you here to work on your fear of heights.”There was a pause.“You said you wanted to overcome it,” Ingrid went on.“I did, didn’t I.”
Relationships: Ingrid Brandl Galatea & Hubert von Vestra, Ingrid Brandl Galatea/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 7
Kudos: 56





	Approval

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so [Moeblob](https://moeblob.tumblr.com/) on tumblr has become my patron Saint of rare pairs for FE:TH. Seriously, the way they draw Felix/Ferdinand is super cute. Their newest ship to take hold of my writing motivation is Ingrid/Hubert. Which is where this came from. 
> 
> Thanks for giving it a shot! And check out Moeblob's art!!

Sometimes Ingrid wondered if her father would approve of her interest in Hubert. He was a noble, powerful, intelligent, and had total access to the von Vestra finances. Residing in a warmer part of Fódlan, Vestra territory also had a better yield than Galatea. The only thing working against Hubert was that he was Emperor Edelgard’s right hand man and therefore an enemy of the Kingdom. But Ingrid tried not to think about that too much.

Walking with him now, so close their sleeves brushed against each other, Ingrid’s mind was on other things. Like how badly this could go or if she should have taken Annette’s advice and put on a slight bit of makeup or—

“Where are we going, exactly?” Hubert’s question interrupted her spiraling thoughts.

Ingrid straightened her spine. This was fine. This was a good idea. “You’ll find out soon,” she said brightly as she led them around a corner. Luckily the day she had set aside for this was bright and warm. Garreg Mach still had its fair share of ruined buildings but somehow everything looked optimistic in the sunlight.

As Ingrid had expected, it only took Hubert a few minutes of walking to figure out their destination. “The stables? Was this your way of asking for help with chores?”

“Oh, no.” Ingrid shook her head. “No, if I wanted help with chores I would just twist Sylvain’s arm. I wouldn’t bother you over something so trivial when you have more important duties.”

Hubert looked down at her, eyebrow raised. “If you needed my assistance, I would not consider it trivial.”

It was sentences like those that made Ingrid’s face pink and she had to make an effort not to let loose a goofy smile. She wished she knew if Hubert did it on purpose or if it was just the kind of stuff he said to everyone.

Once Ingrid had expressed that thought to Annette, who just gave Ingrid a long look before shaking her head.

“Here we are,” Ingrid announced once they reached the correct stall. She held out a hand to indicate Hubert stay where he was, approached the gate, and opened it. Immediately her Pegasus trotted out. She turned to Ingrid expectantly and Ingrid held out a sugar cube, smiling when the Pegasus lowered her regal white head and ate it.

Ingrid stroked the Pegasus’ mane. When she looked over at Hubert, she saw his furrowed brow and knew he was trying to puzzle out her intentions. “Hubert, this is Judith.”

Cautiously, Hubert stepped forward. “Hello,” he greeted formally. Judith sniffed him and then looked away dismissively when it was clear he had no treats for her. Hubert turned to Ingrid. “You named your Pegasus?”

Ingrid giggled. “Of course! She’s my partner, on and off the battlefield. I couldn’t just call her “hey, you”, could I?”

Hubert hummed, looking back up at Judith. “I know Ferdinand has stopped naming his horses, as he has lost many during these five years of fighting. He does not like getting emotionally attached to them anymore.”

A heavy dread fell in Ingrid stomach. The image of Judith lying dead on a battlefield was a sobering one. Ingrid tightened her hold on Judith’s mane to ground herself. Poor Ferdinand. She had no idea…

Once again, Hubert’s voice brought Ingrid out of her own mind. “I doubt you brought me here just to introduce me to your Pegasus.”

Ingrid smiled. “Indeed. I brought you here to work on your fear of heights.”

There was a pause.

“You said you wanted to overcome it,” Ingrid went on.

“I did, didn’t I,” Hubert stated more than asked. He reached out a hand towards Judith. “And how is getting to know Judith going to help?”

Judith shied away, shaking her head with a huff. Hubert froze with his hand still outstretched. Ingrid gently took the hand, turned it over, and dropped a few sugar cubes into his palm. Immediately, Judith was interested. She sniffed forward as he brought his hand up to meet her mouth. Ingrid smiled when Judith began eating.

“The first step,” she explained, “is trust. If you trust Judith not to drop you, if you trust that she knows how to fly, then you will be less scared when you’re up there.”

Judith finished eating and nosed Hubert’s hand in search of more treats. Hubert stroked her forehead with his fingertips. “That is sound logic,” he said, voice slightly distant and eyes on Judith.

Ingrid began instructing. They spent over an hour caring for Judith together. Hubert had some experience caring for horses, but not much in the way of Pegasi. They were bigger than horses for one thing, though slighter. And of course the wings were new to him.

“I can’t believe you’ve never helped them preen before!”

“I was under the impression their wings were… sensitive territory.”

“Once you make it clear you’re just trying to fix their feathers, they settle down. Here— stand next to me.”

At one point, Hubert discarded his black cape and hung it almost carelessly over Judith’s stall gate. For a guy who specialized in ‘working in the shadows’, he took to outdoor work rather well. It helped that Judith was used to different people caring for her. Now that everyone was living together at the Monastery again, there was a larger pool of caretakers for the stables.

Over time, Hubert was able to smooth unruly feathers and strap on a Pegasus’ saddle like a pro. Once he had it down, Ingrid stepped back to allow him one on one time with Judith. Hubert seemed a lot more at ease now, Ingrid observed with a smile. He led Judith around the yard and occasionally patted her head or spoke to her in low tones.

“Well?” She prompted after a while. “You look pretty relaxed.”

Hubert scratched Judith behind her ear. “I thought Pegasi would be more temperamental than horses. I am pleased to see I was incorrect.”

“It helps that I taught you well,” Ingrid said. “They don’t allow much room for trial and error.” She watched Hubert feed Judith a bit of carrot when the Pegasus nosed his shoulder. “Ready to sit in the saddle?”

“You mean, take flight?”

“No, not yet. Just to get used to having Judith under you. Have her get used to you more, too. It’s all part of trusting her.”

Hubert looked Judith in her large, dark eyes. Ingrid had to hold in a chuckle at Hubert’s intense expression verses Judith’s “I wonder if he has more treats” face.

Apparently Hubert found whatever he was looking for because he nodded and said, “Yes. Let’s do it.” 

Ingrid had not expected merely sitting atop a Pegasus to be a great challenge. Though taller than horses, mounting a Pegasus was not all that different, once you got over the wings. Perhaps it was the implication that made Hubert strangely quiet once they were on Judith’s back; the idea that she could take to the air at any moment. He was behind Ingrid so she couldn’t see his face. In fact, Ingrid couldn’t even _imagine_ his face at the moment. What did apprehension look like on Hubert?

“Everything alright back there?” Ingrid asked.

“… Yes. I’m alright.” Ingrid didn’t yelp when his arms wound around her waist but it was a very near thing. “Let’s go up a few feet.”

“What? No. There’s no need to push yourself. I said we would take this one step at a time.”

“I think I have a better sense of when I’m ready to take the next step than you do,” Hubert said firmly. “I know for a fact that Judith will not let me fall. Nor will you.”

That was true. Ingrid tightened her grip on the reigns. “Fine. If you insist.”

With practiced motions, she commanded Judith to take flight. Judith took a running start before leaping up and pumping her wings. The familiar sensation of feathers against Ingrid’s shins, the unfamiliar sensation of Hubert clinging to her; and they were off.

Ingrid didn’t let Judith fly any higher than the gazebo in the courtyard. They did smooth loops with Judith’s hooves just above the hedges. Ingrid looked over her shoulder where she could just see Hubert staring around them.

“Look up,” she advised. “I’m always tempted to fly right through clouds like that.” She pointed up, indicating a large fluffy white puff. It was hard to tell if Hubert followed her suggestions just watching him from the corner of her eye, but his hold on her did loosen slightly.

After a few more laps he said, “We can go a bit higher.”

“Are you certain?”

“Just do it. Please.”

Wind whistled around them as Judith took them above the entrance hall. From here Ingrid could see the marks in the roof tile from the Empire’s arrows five years ago. Someone really ought to repair it before winter.

Without warning, Hubert buried his face between her shoulder blades, his breath tickling the back of her neck, arms tight around her torso. Only years of practice stopped her from jerking the reigns. “Hubert?”

“Give me a moment.”

Ingrid nodded, concentrating on Judith in case Hubert’s distress panicked her. Far below them no one noticed their little exercise. The Professor was fishing in the pond, Felix and Ferdinand were sparing on the landing outside the dining hall, Sylvain was camped outside Bernadetta’s door, and everyone seemed to be in high spirits. 

Gradually, Hubert’s breathing evened out. If he was shaking slightly as he pulled away, Ingrid didn’t point it out. Instead she said, “Ready to get down?”

“No. Let’s go a little higher.”

She sighed. “Hubert—”

“I already told you, I am perfectly capable of deciding when—”

“You do not have to pretend with me!” She snapped, turning as much as possible to glare at him. “I am aware of your fears. I know how hard this must be for you. You do not have to put up a tough act for my sake!” Color, curse it, rose in her cheeks. “I have seen you these past years. You are far from weak. But pushing yourself like this is doing no one any favors.”

Her outburst was met with silence. Ingrid waited for him to speak. No matter what Hubert said, she was going to take them back down. He had clearly overestimated himself, loathe as he might be to admit it.

Then, in a small voice, Hubert spoke. “You’re right.” It was barely above a whisper. “Please get us down, Ingrid.”

Ingrid nodded and leaned back against him in wordless permission. He held her waist once again and, with a gentle tap with her heels, she directed Judith around towards the stables.

Hubert all but leapt off when they touched ground. Ingrid jumped down and grabbed his arm, for his legs were shaking pretty badly. He was paler than normal. Once again she waited while he took in large breaths to calm himself.

“I apologize,” Hubert finally said. “I should not have insisted. I was foolish to think I could conquer this issue in one day.”

She couldn’t hold in a stern tone. “It _was_ foolish. A frantic rider cannot commander their Pegasus. If we had gone higher, it’s possible you would have panicked Judith.”

Hubert gave a half-hearted chuckle. “I had been meaning to ask— you truly named your Pegasus after the Hero of Daphnel?”

Ingrid turned scarlet. “W-What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing at all,” Hubert assured her. Though his lip was quirked up in a smirk. She let go of his arm and huffed in annoyance. This only caused Hubert to chuckle once more. At least he had calmed down, Ingrid decided. Progress.

Hubert retrieved his cape and then turned to stroke Judith’s feathers. “Thank you for ride, Judith. I hope I caused you no discomfort.”

Judith’s only response was to shake out her wings and trot over to the trough for water. Ingrid smiled. “At least you are not traumatized.”

“Indeed. Though I would like to wait before we attempt this again.”

“That’s understandable. And next time, we can fly over the pond in case the worst should happen.” Ingrid outright laughed as Hubert’s face lost all the color it had gained back in the past few minutes. He covered his eyes with one hand as though to block the mental image Ingrid has just created. “It was a jest!” She managed to say. But, as she was still giggling, perhaps she didn’t sound completely genuine. 

Hubert sighed heavily as he lowered his hand, eyes still shut. “Yes, I know. I think I shall take my leave. Some coffee is in order to settle my nerves.”

Controlling herself, Ingrid nodded. “We’ll take it more slowly from now on, I promise.”

Hubert’s eyes opened and the sudden burst of topaz made Ingrid stare a beat longer than polite. She felt herself flush again, and it didn’t get better when Hubert picked up her left hand and bowed to kiss the back of it. “Thank you, Ingrid, for your instruction and care.”

Ingrid gulped. “You’re welcome.” She mentally thanked the Goddess her voice was so steady. Hubert smiled before straightening. Ingrid watched him leave the stables and head toward the dining hall.

Running her fingers over the back of her left hand, Ingrid strode over to Judith and buried her face in the Pegasus’ familiar neck. “What do you think?” She murmured into the short hair. “Would Father approve?”

Judith continued to drink.

“Do _you_ approve?”

Judith lifted her head to nicker before returning to the trough.

“Good. That’s more important anyway.”


End file.
